The Mobile Apps Economy in Canada

Approximately 51,700 Canadians are employed directly and indirectly in the development of mobile apps, according to new research by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC). In the first study of its kind, ICTC has painted a preliminary picture of the apps economy in Canada. Its findings indicate that hundreds of millions in revenue are flowing to entrepreneurs and businesses engaged in the development of apps by a diversity of enterprises across the country. Apps, finds ICTC, are a significant contributor to the digital economy in Canada.

To achieve its findings, ICTC gathered primary data from scores of apps developers in Canada. This information was then complemented by secondary data research collected from broadly available information sources including those of Statistics Canada, Service Canada, and other app-related data sources. Multiplier effects of the tangential and induced economic activities were also taken into account.

The economics of app creation: The costs associated with developing apps, funding mechanisms of app enterprises, opportunities and challenges to funding app initiatives;

The total expenditure on apps and related products and services by Canadians;

The various avenues of revenue generation and the total revenue generated by the Canadian app-makers;

The growth potential of the app economy and estimated job creation in this segment as a result of companies and developers looking to build new apps for the growing number and variety of devices coming to market;

Various technical and non-technical occupations engaged in app creation as well as their composition and direct employment in the app economy;

Consideration of the potential policy measures that may be beneficial to increasing the contribution made by apps developers to innovation and productivity in Canada.